Learning Chinese with Pinyin Posted by sasha on Jun 6, 2011
For anyone raised on the ABCs and 1-2-3s, learning Chinese can seem to be a daunting task. During my first few weeks in Beijing, I would often stare in disbelief at newspapers, menus, and street signs while thinking to myself, “How am I ever going to understand this language?” Luckily for me, and other equally…
Duanwu Festival (端午节) Posted by sasha on Jun 3, 2011
The traditional Duanwu Festival (端午节 – duān wǔ jié) falls on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, which is June 6 this year. Also commonly known as the Dragon Boat Festival (龙船节 – lóng chuán jié), this is one of the oldest Chinese holidays, dating back to 278 BC. Before we get into…
Photo Gallery: Forbidden Palace (故宫画廊) Posted by Stephen on Jun 2, 2011
Youtube slideshow of the Forbidden Palace (故宫): 360 degree view inside the the Forbidden Palace: Thumbnail Gallery: All photographs are courtesy of Stephen M. Fiedler, twitter: @seeitbelieveit Please contact for any use of these images.
Riding That Train (坐火车） Posted by Stephen on May 31, 2011
Trains or 火车 [huǒchē] (literally translating as “fire carts”) are a point of pride among the Chinese–and for good reason. They are a huge source of travel and transport for people and freight in China as highway and road development is still lagging outside of most urban centers. When you think about it, it makes…
Making Chinese Words Posted by sasha on May 31, 2011
While the thousands of Chinese characters can be scary at first, it’s helpful to know that once you know a few, you can easily start building your vocabulary. In this short video lesson, learn how to make words by combining two or three different characters.
Table Manners (桌子礼节） Posted by Stephen on May 29, 2011
While most people that first visit China are shocked at the lack of proper etiquette when sitting down for a meal–don’t fool yourself–China has very particular table manner rules or 桌子礼节 (zhuōzi lǐjié). Unlike western eating culture, which espouses notions of individual servings, and stoic propriety, Chinese eating culture is all about the mixing and…
Subway (地铁） Posted by Stephen on May 24, 2011
The subway or 地铁 (dì tiě) is a relatively new form of public-transit making progress in Chinese mega-cities. More out of necessity than preference, the subway is quickly growing into a main form of transportation in Shanghai and Beijing for commuters frustrated with the alternative above-ground methods. It requires extensive planning, costly construction and millions…